Volunteers and donations are being sought for the 34th annual Bird Rock Fourth of July Parade this year titled “Waves of Freedom.”

That was the good news dispatched at Bird Rock Community Council’s (BRCC) June meeting at Lupi restaurant.

First-time event coordinators this year are Mindy McNeill and Kim Mcintyre, who “inherited” the event from past coordinators Julie Cockrell and Erika Meyer.

“We decided we’d try and take it over for them,” McNeill said. “Otherwise, it wasn’t going to happen. I thought that would be sad.”

The theme, McNeill said, came to them naturally.

“The ocean is in our backyards, and Kim’s husband is in the military and was coming home from deployment, so it kind of rolled off our tongues,” she said.

The neighborhood parade, McNeill said, is truly homegrown, having started out modestly with a few “Beaumont Avenue residents’ children decorating their tricycles and riding a couple of blocks and evolved from there.”

This year’s parade begins at 10 a.m., lasts about 15 minutes and culminates with a party at the cul-de-sac behind La Jolla Methodist Church at the corner of Camino de la Costa and Beaumont Avenue, where judges will present awards to parade participants.

A first-place Uncle Sam Award goes to the parade entry with the biggest impact. The Murfey Cup Fourth of July Spirit Award goes to the best-dressed house on Beaumont Avenue. There are also Silver Bowl and best runner-up entries presented.

“It’s just a fun, neighborhood parade,” said McNeill, who said the event costs between $4,500 and $5,000 to stage.

“It’s all funded by donations rather than sponsorships,” said McNeill, noting the parade needs the community’s financial support as well as volunteers willing to donate their time both before and during the event.

Parade donations can be sent to Sandy Solis, 5781 Waverly Ave., La Jolla, 92037. For more information, email McNeill at mcneill-sd@san.rr.com.

In other action at BRCC’s June 4 meeting:

• Residents were cautioned that there has been an uptick in crime, including car and home burglaries, with the advent of summer. Neighbors were urged to lock residences and vehicles and keep valuables out of plain view.

• Ddonations are still needed for fundraising for the remodeling of the police substation in Pacific Beach. Donations can be made to SDPOA, c/o BRCC, 5666 La Jolla Blvd. #168, La Jolla, 92037.

• Barbara Dunbar reporting on the maintenance assessment district (MAD) said the pedestrian crossing and streetlight relocation projects are both nearly complete. She said signage and landscaping were both damaged in boulevard medians during two recent DUI incidents.

• Lorene LaCava said the Bird Rock Elementary school office will close for the summer June 21 and reopen Aug. 23. She urged parents with kindergartners to get them enrolled as soon as possible, noting the school has a very stable population.

“Eighty-five percent of students graduating from Bird Rock Elementary started as kindergartners,” she said.